Never
by bec3265
Summary: Andromeda Tonks wants to visit her cousin, Sirius. Set sometime between Christmas and Dumbledore’s flight in OotP.


**Title:** Never II  
**Author name:** Beceh  
**Author email:** General  
**Sub Category:** Drama  
**Keywords:** Andromeda Tonks, Sirius Black, Nymphadora Tonks  
**Rating:** PG  
**Summary:** Andromeda wants to visit her cousin. Set sometime between Christmas and Dumbledore's flight in OotP  
**DISCLAIMER:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:** This is a re-write of the original, which I wrote and posted the original late at night, and woke up intending to delete it as I felt it was quite ordinary and lacking in a lot of depth, but I had quite a good response to it, so I hope people like this one! I have made Andromeda seven years older than Sirius.

-

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office listening to the portrait of Gertrude Hoggard regale tales of her time as Headmistress of Hogwarts, and what she liked to call "Ministry buggering-up".

Gertrude fell silent as someone knocked on Dumbledore's door. Dumbledore waved at the door and it swung open revealing a middle-aged dignified woman with the Black family grey eyes and her peppered hair swept back into an elegant bun.

"Ah, Andromeda, my dear, come in, come in," he welcomed his guest and gestured for her to take a seat. Andromeda looked around the office and murmured that it had changed quite a bit since the last time she had been in the Head's office. It had been Armando Dippet's office then, and she had been in fifth year.

Andromeda declined the offer of a sweet and continued to look around the office. Her eyes settled on the portrait of her great-great-grandfather.

"Hello Phineas." The portrait ignored her. Dumbledore smiled.

"Ah yes, an ancestor of yours," he paused, "Nymphadora informed me that you are now aware of your cousin's innocence and wish to meet with him."

"Yes, that's right."

"I am also aware that you wish to renew your petition with the Minister regarding Sirius' innocence and imprisonment," Dumbledore said while observing Andromeda. She looked at him defiantly.

"Yes, that is correct."

"You always assumed he was innocent?" Andromeda nodded. "I am afraid that I cannot say the same thing," Dumbledore sighed.

"I knew Sirius better than you, Dumbledore. I knew to what extent he hated the Dark Arts and…and our family's values. I knew how much the Potter's meant to him. James Potter was more of a brother to Sirius than Regulus ever was. Sirius and I – well we were…are both outcastes from our family; it didn't make sense at all for Sirius to be a Death Eater. He even talked to me about the spy. He thought it was Remus…

And then they sent him to Azkaban without so much as a trial! It was disgraceful!"

"I quite agree, but you must see how damning the evidence was against Sirius…only four people on the planet knew that Sirius and Peter had switched and two of those were dead and the other missing."

"Oh, I know all that. When I tried to speak to Crouch and then Minister Bagnold they told me it was undoubtedly Sirius, and considering the family he came from…brother a confirmed Death Eater, cousin a suspected Death Eater, cousin married to a suspected Death Eater…then naturally they started to suspect me for helping Sirius. I stopped then…for my daughter's sake."

"I understand, the Ministry can be quite…"

Andromeda smiled ruefully, "I tried to visit him you know…and Bellatrix. But they wouldn't let me. I want to see him now Dumbledore."

Dumbledore smiled, "I think he would quite like that."

-

Nymphadora Tonks cursed under her breath as the doorbell rang and the portrait of her great-aunt started screeching. She was in the basement kitchen with Sirius, having lunch. At the start of the screeching, Sirius sighed and muttered, "I keep telling them not to ring the bloody door bell."

Tonks leapt up and told Sirius to finish his lunch, she'd get it. She hurried out of the kitchen and up the dingy staircase to the entrance hall, wondering who was at the door. It wouldn't be anyone from Hogwarts, and she knew Kingsley was on duty. Probably Dung, he usually turned up around mealtime…

Tonks reached the entrance hall and faced her great-aunt.

"Miserable old hag," Tonks muttered as the old woman screeched her usual rant at Tonks "HALF-BLOOD, PRODUCT OF TRAITOROUS SCUM, FREAK-"

Tonks silenced her with a stunning spell, wrenched the curtains shut and proceeded to open the door.

"Mum! What are you doing here?" Her mother was the last person Tonks was expecting to find at the doorstep of Headquarters.

"Hello Nymphadora. Are you going to let me in or make me stand out here in the cold for another five minutes?"

"Oh, sorry, of course, come in…I wasn't expecting you is all. Seen Dumbledore then?"

"Yes, I've just come from there," Andromeda said while steeping over the threshold. "What was that awful screeching noise?"

Tonks motioned for her mother to talk quieter. "That was your dear old Aunt Vega."

"Merlin's beard I thought she was dead." Andromeda said, looking startled.

"No, no, her portrait," Tonks said pointing to the curtains, "permanent sticking charm – we can't get it down. I'm glad I never met the hag in person – portrait form is bad enough!" Tonks whispered.

"Oh you did meet her once. You were a baby. She spat at me and ignored you…that woman gave me nightmares as a child," Andromeda shuddered. "Well, come on Nymph, where's Sirius?"

"Oh! Right, follow me. We've just had lunch." Tonks led the way back down to the kitchen.

Tonks pushed the doors to the kitchen open and announced in a loud voice, "Sirius, I present to you -" But Sirius had looked up and bet Tonks to it.

"Andromeda!" Sirius leapt up from his seat and hurried around the table towards the only member of his family he hadn't mentally disowned.

Andromeda let out a little cry. Tonks assumed she was startled at the change in Sirius – she had last seen him as a handsome 22 year old after all. Tonks watched as her mother and cousin embraced. She heard her mother murmur, "I tried to see you when it happened, but they wouldn't let me. I tried every week for months, and then every year, but they never let me."

Sirius smiled wistfully. "Thanks," he whispered. "You don't know what even that means to me."


End file.
